Time for St. Louis to Make a Call

So this is going to be a great baseball day, right? The Cardinals can’t win or lose on the field, but 24 hours from now what makes the headlines in St. Louis? A better question may just end up being was it enough depending on how you look at the National League this silly summer.

The Cards technically have made a deal already, and it wouldn’t come as a shock to see very little done in the next six hours. It matters very little that the Baby Bears are gutting their farm system, since winning without dealing off your 25-man roster is how the Birds on the Bat stayed relevant a decade ago.

No, the only question that matters now and honestly for the next two months has to be this — can any deal help put St. Louis in position to make noise in October? Surely the optimist would argue that a move can always be found to help the team. This probably is true for the Cardinals as well, especially for that yearly bullpen arm or possibly a bench bat.

Now as I am not someone who is overly pessimistic, the past 18 months of following the club under the Arch have been anything but pleasant. There have been good moments of course with more to come but for the first time in recent memory, the only smart play is to sell. There won’t be a massive rebuild and does anyone really think there should be?

Alex Reyes will be a force next season and sets up for a more imposing rotation that should bring fear to anyone in the Central. Yes, that means a spot needs to be opened but look at the ready-made option already in place. Lance Lynn has always been a good soldier and deserves his payday, end of story. The money just won’t be coming from St. Louis as there are plenty of options and other needs.

Let other teams fight it out to lose to the Dodgers, Astros, or hot team to be determined. Lynn can make a difference down the stretch and has the playoff pedigree to help his future income even more. It makes too much sense for the Cards to capitalize and flip the starter before only getting back a second-round draft pick.

At the same time, there is a much more crucial position that needs clarity before things get put in Mike Matheny’s hands. Stephen Piscotty at last check was due back tomorrow, and Dexter Fowler in a couple weeks unless they are very cautious. While Harrison Bader can go back to Memphis for the playoff run, the elephant in the room goes by the initials of RG.

This situation has all the familiar tones of another deal that was also made to bring the needed ‘culture change’ that the front office has brought up on a few different occasions. When Craig and Kelly were moved at the deadline in 2014, it was to make room in the outfield. The same problem needs to be addressed today, and Matheny has proved to be incapable of making those calls.

Buckle up and stand by as the rumors will be flying in every direction this afternoon, as the dominoes fall into place. It is an exciting time for sure, but really we fans just hope to have something to cheer about other than what the Redbirds are doing in the PCL.

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